E-Scum Gong Chapter 13
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 13
"After school, I'll help you review all the way until the college entrance exam." A few days later, Yue Shan once again took the initiative to talk to Lin Xu, her voice cold and clear.
Although she kept her eyes on her textbook while speaking, her wandering gaze betrayed her girlish feelings.
Feeling the disappointment and awkwardness of realizing that his eyes showed no extra thoughts, she was finally overwhelmed by a sour and bitter emotion. Perhaps this was the unrequited love people often reminisced about.
Yue Shan knew that Lin Xu studied diligently from morning till night. She had also heard about his reputation and knew that he was an underperforming student in the international class. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't catch up now.
However, liking someone often manifested as a beautiful and selfless virtue. She couldn't help but want to sacrifice her own extracurricular time to help him.
She would not regret this piece of her youth.
Lin Xu paused for a moment, realizing that his deskmate was speaking to him. Although he was a bit slow, he wasn't stupid, and he could also feel the occasional attention from the girl.
During his school days in the previous life, he had encountered shy girls confessing their feelings, as well as those who pursued him boldly.
Even with experience, he would still feel anxious about how to reject them.
Yue Shan had excellent grades which could easily get her into a 985 university. Even aiming for a top-tier university wouldn't be difficult for her. At such a critical time, she shouldn't be distracted by other things. How could a high school student be in an early relationship?
In fact, if Lin Xu hadn't been unable to ignore Gu Jinzhi's situation, he might have simply written an IOU, asked for a bank account number to repay the money in the future, rather than getting entangled in this dating game.
Reflecting on his secret relationship, Lin Xu still felt quite ashamed.
He pressed his lips together and shook his head. "The college entrance exam is coming soon. You should focus on your studies."
Yue Shan no longer felt her pride was wounded. Instead, she thought Lin Xu was a bit stubborn. "Indeed, the college entrance exam is coming soon. Isn't it good that I help you?" She was confident in her ability to perform well, so she was even more concerned about Lin Xu.
It would be very sad if he was the only one who failed the college entrance exam and couldn't graduate.
Yue Shan was never arrogant about her academic prowess, but at this moment, she felt confident she could definitely help Lin Xu.
"I haven’t given up on myself, so don’t worry," Lin Xu said, looking at her with a firm gaze.
Yue Shan felt somewhat helpless, but she also understood that this was just how the other person was — elusive, polite and detached, yet he never seemed to display any negative emotions.
He never appeared to be in distress or angry. Even as she worried for him, he remained composed, his expression always cool and calm.
Yue Shan knew there was no chance for them, not even after the college entrance exam.
He had never involuntarily shown her a different side of himself.
“Hmm.” Yue Shan nodded and immersed herself back into her studies.
The others were secretly amazed at Lin Xu for refusing the top student's offer. They thought he was too thoughtful. If Yue Shan were willing to help them, they would eagerly study through the night, even if it meant disturbing her.
After all, top students were expected to do well, so there was no need to worry about them. As for themselves, they weren't so certain.
The mock exam finally arrived as everyone rushed around.
The entire senior year was divided into science and arts classes. Lin Xu’s class, Class 9, was a science class, as he had been a science student in his previous life.
Students were assigned to exam rooms based on their mid-term exam scores, with the highest scorers in one room and so on.
With no scores of his own, Lin Xu was naturally placed in the last exam hall, in the last seat.
As he entered the hall with his pencil case, the previously noisy room fell silent for a few seconds. A crumpled piece of paper, as if on cue, landed on his shoulder.
Years had passed, but Lin Xu was still not accustomed to so many gazes. Nevertheless, with his experience, he managed to keep a calm and expressionless face despite his racing heart.
He patted his shoulder, picked up the crumpled paper, and dropped it in the trash can at the back of the room.
For some reason, after seeing this, everyone felt too embarrassed to continue throwing things.
Some students were aware that Lin Xu had transferred from the international class. His striking appearance had made him quite famous among all the classes.
While there were many boys in the science class, few stood out. Most of them looked as if they had just returned from mining coal — swarthy and sweaty, with poor taste in fashion. Every day, they wore what they thought were cool printed T-shirts and refused to put on their uniforms, preferring to dress sloppily.
Girls liked boys like Lin Xu, who wore their uniforms neatly. Being clean and tidy was attractive enough! Not to mention, he was truly handsome, a perfect blend of elegance and masculinity.
Even the quieter students couldn't help but sneak glances at the handsome newcomer.
They murmured to themselves, wondering how someone so good-looking could have such poor grades. He was even pretending to be diligently studying before the exam.
What a beautiful fool.
Not many students in this exam room were actually studying. They were the worst-performing group. Yet, since they were from a prestigious school, even the lowest-ranked students from the worst class could still get into a second-tier university.
As long as they didn't completely stop studying after they enrolled, they could still get into a bachelor's program. However, those who gave up entirely were few and far between.
The room gradually filled with hushed conversations again, though not as loudly as before.
A more proactive and outgoing girl, seated next to Lin Xu, tapped his desk and struck up a conversation. "Which class are you from? Do you have a girlfriend?"
Lin Xu was unable to handle such directness. He was uncomfortable with such blunt questions. In his previous life, he would have done everything he could to avoid such situations.
So, Lin Xu simply nodded in silence and avoided looking at the girl.
He wasn’t lying either. He did have a partner of sorts.
“If you break up later, maybe I’ll come find you. By the way, I’ve arranged with someone who can give me the answers later. Do you want me to send them to you?”
She was second-to-last of the bottom list, and Lin Xu was last, so he probably needed it as much as she did.
Lin Xu quickly shook his head. He didn’t even want to think about cheating. What was the point of deceiving oneself? Because he had never had to worry about money since he was a child, he found it hard to empathize with those who cheated for the sake of rewards at home.
His parents, on the other hand, often complained that he didn’t know how to spend money. It was like a bad bamboo stalk producing a good shoot – his mom was a shopaholic.
“Tsk, how can such a handsome guy not talk?” The girl lost interest and decided to lie down and sleep.
Lin Xu breathed a sigh of relief. Sometimes, he was glad he wasn’t very talkative, as it helped him avoid many complicated romantic entanglements.
Finally, the proctor arrived. The distribution of papers and the ringing of the bell happened in a flash.
The classroom was filled with the sound of pens scratching against papers. Lin Xu skimmed through the questions with an impassive expression. There were a few topics he hadn’t had time to review, but the rest were not difficult.
Since it was a science exam, he couldn’t just come up with answers he didn’t know. So, Lin Xu finished and submitted his paper half an hour before the end of the exam. As he left, the proctor gave his paper an extra glance. Considering he was from the last seat and submitted so early, they assumed he hadn't written much.
However, seeing the fairly complete exam paper, the proctor was secretly surprised and began grading it in his mind. The neat handwriting alone was worth extra points.
It was elegant yet not ostentatious.
The same applied to the other subjects.
Lin Xu left the exam hall, feeling quite relaxed.
During the two-day exam period, the exam hall was in chaos. There were endless cases of cheating, and those involved were eventually taken away. There were even rumors of the exam questions being leaked.
Back in the classroom, students started discussing the difficulty of the exam papers. As it was a mock exam, everyone was tense. Some were happy to compare answers, while others were so distressed they remained silent the entire day.
Yue Shan looked at Lin Xu's expressionless face, and couldn’t gauge how well he had performed. But given his foundation, she thought there was no point in asking.
His seat was quite isolated, and he wasn’t approached to check answers with. In contrast, Yue Shan's area was crowded with people. After all, they had complete trust in the top student's performance.
Lin Xu relaxed slightly, but when he saw that the logistics showed the recipient had signed for the gift, he became anxious again.
Seeing him casually playing with his phone, Yue Shan adjusted her hair and elaborated more on the answers to the other students. Someone playfully teased Lin Xu, "Even though you're close to the top student, how come others are getting the benefit instead?" He was someone who hadn’t managed to get a good seat.
Lin Xu, looking somewhat puzzled, smiled faintly and replied, “The teacher will explain the answers.” He then lowered his head to focus on his phone, subtly blocking the view.
Fortunately, he had bought an anti-peek screen protector. Otherwise, it would be too embarrassing if his chat with Zhizhi was seen.
Lin Xu had started to actively message Gu Jinzhi. Given that the screen was filled with Gu Jinzhi’s constant chatter, he sometimes felt reluctant to let his enthusiasm go to waste.
So, even when he had no new topics to discuss, he forced himself to come up with something. “Did you receive the shoes? Are they comfortable for playing basketball?”
It was rather amusing that, at the moment Gu Jinzhi received the shoes, he was extremely surprised.
When Lin Xu told him he would buy him a pair of shoes, Gu Jinzhi was puzzled. Basketball shoes were not cheap, and sending a cheap pair would be unattractive. He thought it would be better to receive some jewelry instead, as the price of jewelry could sometimes be less noticeable.
He imagined Lin Xu leading a frugal life every day, unlike himself, who lived a life of luxury. Therefore, he had not expected much from the gift. He was more curious about Lin Xu’s reaction when he received the tie.
Maybe he'd be more enthusiastic towards him!
But when Gu Jinzhi opened the gift, he was taken aback. It was from a well-known brand. Though he wouldn’t wear such a brand during college, as someone who fancied himself a trendsetter, Gu Jinzhi preferred niche brands for their higher prestige.
Yet, considering Lin Xu’s financial situation, the gift was quite extravagant.
Gu Jinzhi was rich, so spending money didn’t feel like a big deal, but for a poor man like Amour, it might have been equivalent to a month’s salary…
So, Gu Jinzhi realized the gift was not light, and despite his own extravagance, he actually quite liked the style of the shoes.
There was just one problem. He hadn't played basketball in a long time…
Gu Jinzhi was still very happy. His opinion of Lin Xu went up a notch. He had never met a man willing to spend money on him. After all, people usually came for his money.
Thus, Gu Jinzhi, ever unconventional, wore a suit with basketball shoes to work. He occasionally kicked around, completely disregarding the strange looks from others, and found it quite comfortable.
Others simply attributed it to Second Young Master Gu 's unusually distinctive fashion sense. After all, with his physique and looks, anything he wore looked good.
In the office, Gu Jinzhi propped his ankle up on the opposite knee, frequently glancing at the shoes, which which grew more pleasing to his eyes. He looked so f*cking handsome in them. It seemed he couldn’t give up his passion for basketball.
This face, this figure, this youthful aura... Who wouldn't be captivated? Pretending to be a college student wasn't an exaggeration at all.
Originally, he was eager to take a photo of his great legs and send it to Lin Xu to show off, but then he slapped his forehead. He almost forgot about his online persona.
Gu Jinzhi couldn’t stay in the office for another minute. Full of energy, he forcibly used half of his day off and insisted on meeting Xu Zhou.
Where to go? The two headed straight to the sports center more than ten kilometers away. He sped along the road in his sports car like a madman.
Xu Zhou, grasping his chest and gasping for air, thought, “This isn’t the road to the sports center. This is the road to hell.”
